The present invention relates to a dispenser for adhesive-backed articles, more particularly, it relates to a dispenser for adhesive-backed articles, such as bandages, that can be applied using a single hand.
Adhesive-backed articles such as adhesive bandages are known in the art. These bandages are commonly sealed in sterile wrappings and packaged either on a continuous roll or within paper or metal boxes. Examples include the well-known Band-Aid(copyright) brand bandages. While popular, these products suffer certain disadvantages such as the fact that the bandages themselves can be difficult to remove from their individual wrappings and difficult to apply to the desired location. The user generally must remove the bandage from the wrapping, remove nonstick cover layers from the adhesive portions of the bandage and then attempt to apply the bandage to the desired location while compromising the sterility of the bandage or having the bandage curling and adhering to itself or the person applying the bandage. These traditional bandages are not designed so they can be removed from their packaging and applied to a patient using only a single hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,689 to Frank and U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,522 to Schroeder, which are both hereby expressly incorporated by reference, both disclose bandages that are packaged so they can be removed from a backing strip, applied to a patient and separated from their cover using only a single hand. The packaging for these bandages can include separate, individually sealed packages or a plurality of sealed packages that share a common, elongated backing sheet.
Dispensers for bandages that share a common, elongates backing sheet are known. Typically, the backing sheet assumes the form of a roll that is positioned within the dispenser so that it can rotate or otherwise move relative to the housing of the dispenser. U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,586 to Taulbee, et al. discloses a known bandage dispenser in which a continuous strip is grasped with one hand and a bandage is removed with the other hand. This is accomplished using a continuous backing strip with first and second layer. Bandages are placed on sterile mounting pads affixed to the first layer. The bandages and the first layer are then enclosed by a cover layer and stacked or rolled within a container. In use, the sheet is pulled through a splicer attached to the container that cuts the first and second layer. The second layer is then lifted and removed. The first layer is then grasped with one hand and a bandage is removed with the other. Like other known dispensers, the dispenser disclosed in the patent to Taulbee et al. requires that the person removing the bandage and applying it use two hands. This can be impractical for a busy health care professional and impossible for a person who has injured one of their hands. Additionally, it can be very difficult and inconvenient for physically challenged people, such as amputees, to use a conventional, two-handed dispenser.
In view of the foregoing, it is useful to provide a dispenser for adhesive-backed articles that permit an adhesive based article to be taken from the dispenser with one hand. In particular, when using adhesive-backed articles (such as adhesive bandages, as discussed above) that can be applied to a location (such as a wound) with one hand, it is useful to provide a dispenser that permits such articles to be taken from the dispenser with one hand. Otherwise, a dispenser that requires a user to manipulate such an adhesive-backed article with both hands diminishes some of the utility of the articles and can cause the sterile portion of the bandage to be compromised.
In general, the present invention provides a dispenser for dispensing adhesive-backed articles from a bulk stock. Generally, bulk stock refers to a continuous web of backing material on which individual adhesive-backed articles are affixed and covered. The dispensers according to the present invention can be mounted to a wall, a horizontal surface or any other convenient location that permits a person to access the dispenser and remove one of a plurality of the adhesive-backed articles using a single hand.
In one embodiment, the dispenser includes a housing having a bucket portion for receiving and containing the bulk stock adhesive-backed articles to be dispensed and a cover connected to the bucket portion. The cover includes a window through which the adhesive-backed articles can be removed from the backing sheet and applied to a person or other animal using a single hand. The dispenser also includes a support member secured within the housing such that at least one of the cover and the support member is biased toward the other for preventing movement of the backing sheet as one of the adhesive-backed articles is removed from the backing sheet through the window. This prevents the need for someone to hold the backing sheet as the adhesive-backed article is removed.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser includes a feed roller and a pressure roller that cooperate to form a nip for receiving a section of bulk stock roll and advancing it within the dispenser. The received section of the bulk stock roll can include the backing material, the adhesive-backed article and any cover applied over the article. Alternatively, this section can include only the backing material. The dispenser also includes an activation mechanism that causes the rollers to rotate when it is operated. Rotating or otherwise moving a handle relative to a housing of the dispenser can cause the activation mechanism to operate and the rollers to rotate within the housing.